Ex-Financial Times Journalist Tom Foremski @ the Collision of Technology and Media

Newswatch 12.5.07: Zuckerberg apologizes for Beacon

[WSJ] We've made a lot of mistakes building this feature, but we've made even more with how we've handled them," Mr. Zuckerberg wrote. "We simply did a bad job with this release, and I apologize for it."

[InfoWeek] Standalone iPhones offered by France Telecom's Orange unit helped the telecom sell nearly 30,000 of the smartphones in the first five days it was available, the company said Wednesday. Because of French regulations that outlaw marketing practices that tie product sales, Orange is the only provider of the iPhone anywhere to offer the device as a standalone phone -- also known as an unlocked phone -- without a contract.

[News.com] Google has optimized its applications for the iPhone so they are integrated into a single interface and operate faster. Now, if you go to Google's home page on your iPhone you'll see the Web search box and links to Gmail, Calendar and Reader up at the top of the screen for quick access.

[ZDNet] "There is no way that anybody could know that talking to someone or saying that you’re mean to your friends on the Internet would create a substantial risk,” Banas said. “It certainly created a potential risk and, unfortunately for the Meiers, that potential became reality. But under the law we just couldn’t show that.”

[NYT] Sunday’s multibillion-dollar mega-merger between Activision and the games unit of Vivendi was perhaps the most compelling reflection yet of how swiftly video games have evolved in the last few years, not just as a business but also as a force on the global cultural and artistic landscape.